Alaskan, with English Subtitles: Part 1
Hey, everybody! Well, here I am. The move is complete and the work has begun. So, without further adieu, on with the show...
ALASKA...THE SECOND TIME AROUND
It was decidedly strange arriving back in Alaska. Even though it had only been 10 months since I left, a lot has happened in my life since that time, including coming to my educational senses (ie, deciding not to go right to grad school), subsequently graduating from college in December, the fun (sarcasm) of the job search, the offer from Alaska on the same day that I agreed to help out Karen and Jay in Minneapolis, the Mall of America, packing and moving.
Just as a side-note, unpacking is much more of a desirable process than packing. My apartment is very, very nice. It is big, with lots of windows, a big walk-in closet, in a quiet neighborhood, in a quiet building, etc. It is starting to feel like home...of course, to make it feel that way, I had to basically throw all of my stuff all over the place. Just kidding, it isn't as bad as you all think...at least not yet.
I have become even more intimately acquainted with the Fairbanks
North Star Borough bus system. It isn't as nice as the Minneapolis
bus system, but I didn't expect that it would be. I think that
I will want to get a vehicle relatively soon, just to ensure my
continued sanity. Work is work. I have a bigger workspace, with
a kick-butt new computer (G4 PowerMac, with the flat screen Studio
Monitor, OS X, optical mouse, for all you tech-heads) and thankfully,
my workspace isn't in the
cubicle farm. It is in a computer lab. Still not a personal office,
but close. I may get a more private office soon, they say.
I have also flung myself headlong into community involvement.
On Thursday night, I rehearsed with the Fairbanks Community Band
for the first time. I was very pleasantly surprised. One never
knows exactly what to expect with a community band, but you can
expect a lot from this one. The low brass section is very, very
good (even better now that I am here) and features a couple of
folks who play in the "amazingly good" Fairbanks Symphony.
Well, as luck would have it, I didn't have to wait very long for
a performance either. Last night, The FCB played for the graduation
of the Adult Learning Program of Alaska at their
Spring GED Ceremony. It was really neat, actually. The graduates
really had worked hard to get there, and they were all truly grateful
to be there. Each graduate got the chance to say a few words after
they got their diploma, which I thought was really a neat idea.
Next week, we start our weekly "Concert in the Park"
series, which is performed downtown.
Well, that is just about everything from here. I am looking forward to hearing from you all. It is relatively easy...just hit that little button marked reply. Good. Now, use the little keys with letters on them to peck out a coherent message about yourself, your antics, your children, etc.
Here is my contact info, just in case you wanted to know. Even if you didn't want to know, I want you to know, for some reason:
Brian Hartmann
1500 4th Ave. Apt #1
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: 907-452-4647
Work: website: http://climate.gi.alaska.edu
email: [email protected]
phone: (907)-474-6917
And finally, a little bit of something to make you laugh. I call it...
INJECTIONS D'HUMEUR
Court Jesters... From the "Kleptocracy" Files, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch recently announced winners of its 2000 "Wacky Warning Label Contest."
Honorable Mention (on a carpenters' electric wood router):
"This product not intended for use as a dental drill."
3rd Place (on a jet ski): "Warning! Riders of personal watercraft
may suffer injury due to the forceful injection of water into
body cavities either by falling into the water or while mounting
the craft."
2nd Place (on an Ann Arbor, Michigan, public sports facility toilet):
"Recycled flush water unsafe for drinking."
1st Prize (on a pair of bicyclists' shin guards): "Shin pads
cannot protect any part of the body they do not cover."
For those who may have forgotten,
1997's Grand Prize Winner was on a hair dryer: "Never
use hair dryer while sleeping"
1998's was on a baby stroller: "Remove child before folding"
1999's was on a household iron: "Never iron clothes while
they are being worn."
He, he, he.
Peace,
Brian "Fully prepared to do battle with the midnight sun
this time" Hartmann